A02._LDP_PWS_Attachment_3_FY18_LDP_District-wide_Announce.pdf

Announcing the

FY-18

Leadership Development Program Tier 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

BACKGROUND

GOALS

TARGET

AUDIENCE

PROGRAM

FEATURES

PROGRAM

COMPONENTS

PREREQUISITES………………

APPLICATION

PROCEDURES

EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

EQUAL EMPLOYEMENT OPPORTUNITY

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABLED EMPLOYEES

INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

OVERVIEW

The LDP Tier 2 is a part-time, year long, multi-faceted leadership and management development program. The program includes an analysis of one’s leadership style, structured leadership training, guided preparation of an Individual Leadership Action/Development Plan (IDP), field trips and site visits, on-line training, participation on team projects, individual strengths/leadership action plan coaching sessions, and a mentoring relationship with a senior leader.

BACKGROUND

The Corps traces its history to the beginning of this nation. It has provided invaluable service since that time and has proven its flexibility by adapting to change at various points in its history. Today’s environment of increasing tempo, customer choice, increased retirements, contingency operations, support to the warfighter, and a constrained budget requires us to take an even more systemic, collaborative and inclusive approach to remain relevant to our stakeholders. Additionally, we must continue to build and maintain strategic alliances to understand stakeholder values, challenges they face, and to assist them in accomplishing their mission in a supportive or a lead role. We do this by learning efficiently and effectively from what works and what doesn’t work in a non-adversarial environment that facilitates flexibility and empowerment - a learning organization. The transfer of the success-oriented, organizational culture and interrelationships, which our current leaders have cultivated over a period of years, is facilitated through various LDP activities.

GOALS

• Develop and nurture leaders who continuously adapt and adjust the USACE strategic direction to sustain our relevance to the Army and the Nation.

• Develop leaders for a learning organization who encourage innovation, teamwork and partnerships to ensure customer success and develop organizational learning in the process of work and meetings.

• Increase individual awareness of talents and how to identify and develop them to increase personal and organizational competence. LDP participants will also develop awareness of other’s talents and the increased value to stakeholders and the mission when their talents are aligned with their work.

• Increase awareness of the Corps at all levels (District, Division, HQUSACE).

• Provide a forum for participants to exchange ideas, understandings and appreciation for organizations and disciplines within the District.

• Foster group dynamics among LDP participants, which will improve communication within the District across organizational lines.

• Provide a district-wide, focused approach to effective leadership and management methods and standards of competence.

• Foster the goals of the District’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience for the LDP includes District employees who:

• Have clearly demonstrated the potential and desire to assume greater leadership roles and responsibilities in the organization;

• Have permanent status (temporary and student employees are not eligible);

• Have at least a Level 2 rating on the most recent TAPES performance.

PROGRAM FEATURES

GROUP SIZE

Up to twelve employees, selected from among field activities and the District Office, participate on a voluntary basis in the LDP. The schedule of program activities will be tailored to meet the group and individual needs of selected participants, taking into consideration their duty stations.

DURATION

The program spans a 12-month period, from October to September, the Corps’ Fiscal Year.

Employees participate on a part-time basis while assigned to their regular positions. Among the major activities:

• A one-day orientation session and mentoring workshop.

• An initial 2.5 day offsite, includes learning about the missions of the host operating project, receiving feedback and analysis of various leadership assessments completed prior to the offsite.

• 64 hours of formal leadership and management classroom training.

• A mid-year offsite, includes learning about the missions of the host operating project, focusing on the Corps as a learning organization and applying your strengths and leadership skills at team and organizational levels (2.5 day offsite).

• 16 hours of field visits.

• Monthly mentoring meetings.

• Book readings (4 minimum).

• roughly 80 hours participating on team projects.

• Quarterly strength/individual leadership action plan coaching sessions.

• One day close-out session for reflection, AAR and graduation.

TIME COMMITMENT and FUNDING

LDP participants should expect to contribute significant amounts of their own time for evening meetings, reading and studying, preparing journals, completing surveys, working on team projects, and other class activities. LDP participants are typically away from their work site an average of five hours in any work week or approximately 200 hours per year. The Corporate Board determines the annual budget for the program. Nominating organizations fund salaries, TDY and some costs associated with site visits and team projects. All qualified employees will be considered for this training without regard to funding considerations in their organizations. Average labor costs have been approximately $10,000 per participant.

PROGRAM COMPLETION

The District will invest significant resources in each LDP participant. The participants, in return, are expected to put forth their maximum effort to diligently complete the program in order to receive a graduation certificate. Participants from the graduating LDP class may be selected through a competitive process to participate in the MVD Emerging Leaders Program.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• The St. Louis District LDP Steering Committee manages the LDP Tier 2 and oversees the activities of the LDP Tier 1 Steering Committee.

• The LDP Steering Committee Chairperson administers the program with a contract facilitator.

• The LDP Steering Committee reviews applications and makes participant selection recommendations to the District Corporate Board.

• The Corporate Board selects the LDP Tier 2 participants.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

ONE-DAY ORIENTATION

The year’s activities begin with a one-day orientation. The orientation provides an opportunity for the LDP participants and the contract facilitator to get acquainted and to discuss respective roles and responsibilities. The LDP participants will receive a detailed description of the curriculum components and have an opportunity to identify their expectations for the year. There will also be a Mentoring workshop to allow the participants and mentors an opportunity to interact and begin with a clear understanding of roles, responsibilities and expectations of the mentoring relationship.

INITIAL OFFSITE

The LDP commences with a two and one-half day offsite, typically held at a St. Louis District operating project. Time at the offsite is devoted to learning about the missions of the operating project hosting the offsite and receiving feedback and analysis of the leadership assessments completed prior to the offsite from the contract facilitator. The information provided will highlight participants existing leadership styles and strengths, as well as point to areas for development.

The offsite also provides the LDP participants and the contract facilitator with an opportunity to get better acquainted and to plan many facets of the year’s activities.

FIELD VISITS

To gain a better appreciation for field operations, the LDP participants will visit Civil Works project sites. They will receive leadership tips from front-line leaders in the field who face varied challenges in their daily operations while representing the Corps to our customers and the community. In addition, there may be one or more site visits to top performing local companies.

Final site locations and field visit schedules are determined by the LDP participants.

CORE TRAINING CURRICULUM

The core training curriculum is designed to gradually progress the LDP participants through three focus areas: Individual, Interpersonal/Teams and Organizational Understanding. The following is a list of potential topics:

• Leadership Styles – Your Own and Others

• Individual Efficiency and Effectiveness (Managing Multiple Priorities & Time)

• Decision Making – Individual and Team

• Interpersonal Communication (Giving/Receiving Positive & Critical Feedback)

• Developing Others (Coaching, Mentoring, Delegating & Fostering Collaboration)

• Conflict Management – Counseling, Working with Difficult People

• Leading and managing individual, team and organizational change

• Inclusive Thinking & Action: partners, stakeholders, internal/external customer focus

• Big Picture in USACE (St. Louis District, MVD & HQ)

DISTRICT LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT

To provide insight into executive level decision-making process, LDP participants attend a minimum of six District Meetings. Meetings include Project Review Board, Corporate Board, District Management Team Meeting, Operations Managers’ Meetings, Project Coordination Meeting, etc. As events permit, LDP participants meet with visiting dignitaries, such as Division Commander, officials from HQUSACE and customer agency officials. LDP Participants will also have the opportunity to shadow district leaders to various meetings and field visits.

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to studying leadership, during the course of the year there are many opportunities for the LDP participants to practice and demonstrate their leadership skills as they organize LDP activities, District events and work on various projects.

MENTORING

It is the rare leader, manager or executive who did not receive valuable help along the path of career development from one or more mentors. For this reason, each LDP participant will participate in a mentoring relationship with a senior District leader. The mentor will serve as a counselor, information provider, friendly critic, interpreter of organizational policies and politics, sounding board and link to the pulse of the organization. A list of available mentors will be provided to participants. Participants can either select a mentor from that list or request someone else as a mentor. When selecting a mentor, participants should choose someone outside of their supervisory chain that is a manager/supervisor or senior leader in the district. It will be the Participant’s responsibility to ask the mentor if they are willing to participate in a mentoring relationship for the year (one participant per mentor). When the mentor has been selected, the Participant will notify the LDP Coordinator. Mentors will be expected to attend the Mentoring workshop, which will be held in conjunction with the orientation.

TEAM PROJECTS

Leadership "theory" and "practice" meet face-to-face as LDP participants form teams to work on projects, which focus on the District’s strategic direction and missions. All projects identified shall be approved by the LDP Steering Committee, with periodic briefings to the Corporate Board.

YEAR END SESSION

The year's activities conclude with a one-day session for additional reflection, introspection, planning for future personal development, development of an AAR and graduation.

PREREQUISITES

Employees are encouraged, but not required, to complete 100% of the LDP Tier 1 curriculum prior to applying for FY18 LDP Tier 2, due to the recent LDP Tier 1 re-implementation district-wide. For more information about the LDP Tier 1, please contact LDP Tier 1 Steering Committee Members:

Ashley Rasnic or Brian Johnson. You do not need to have completed Tier 1 to apply for the Tier 2 Program at this time.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Employees in the target audience wishing consideration for the LDP are required to submit the following documents to Brian Johnson (PD), no later than 4 August 2017. It is imperative that the application is filled out in its entirety, by COB 4 August. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Application Contents include:

a. Candidate Profile (LDP-Form 1). Completed by the candidate (limit 3 pages).

b. Leadership, Management, and Development Questions (LDP-Form 2). Candidate must provide a brief written narrative for each question (limit 2 pages total).

c. Certificate of Understanding (LDP-Form 3). Candidate and Supervisor must sign and date the form.

d. Performance Appraisal. Candidate must provide a copy of their most recent performance appraisal.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

Ratings will be based on information provided in the applications. The LDP Steering Committee will make initial assessments and provide recommendations to the Corporate Board for their consideration. The Corporate Board will make the final selections based on the LDP Steering Committee’s final recommendations and merit.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

All members of the target audience will receive consideration for this developmental opportunity without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, handicapping conditions, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABLED EMPLOYEES

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers makes every effort to ensure accessibility to our training programs by employees with disabilities. Please notify the LDP Coordinator of any special provisions which may be necessary.

INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

Employees who would like to receive further information are encouraged to call or email LDP Steering Committee members Brian Johnson (314-331-8146), Susan Wilson (314-331-8201), or Ashley Cox (314-331-8110) upon receipt of this announcement. Employees are also encouraged to talk with current LDP Participants regarding their experiences with the program.